Q: I always have several of those $NtUninstall$ files in my Windows folder and I know they’re okay to delete, but is there any way I can find out what they actually are before I do so?

A: That is a very good question and I’m so glad you asked, because thanks to our wonderful tech support guy, Chad, I have a great answer for you. Before I go any further, if you’re wanting to know the basics about the $NtUninstall$ files, you can read this tip[1] for additional information. Then if you’re interested in getting down to the nitty gritty of them, keep going!

This question is also perfect, because it has to do with the knowledge base resource of a computer system, which I went over with you in yesterday’s quick tip. Refer back to that tip for a quick definition of knowledge base if you need it. Okay, now even though the uninstall files we’re talking about are safe to remove from your computer, there’s some things you can do with them before you go hitting that delete button.

Each of the files have an assigned number and each number can be traced to give you some troubleshooting techniques if you happen to run into some problems with your computer. First, let’s find that number, shall we? Go to your My Computer icon on your desktop and then double click on your C: drive. Find the folder that is labeled Windows and double click on that. Once that opens, you will see several separate files under the name of $NtUninstall$. Go ahead and single click on any one of those files and the whole name will appear. You will then see the attached number.

For example, one of the ones I have on my computer here in the office is $NtUninstallKB896422$. Now, the KB stands for Knowledge Base. Is it all coming together for you now?! To find out what the number refers to, go to Microsoft’s homepage. Click here[2] to go there now. Along the left hand side of the page under Resources, click on Knowledge Base. You will then see a Search area and this is where you can enter in that number to find out what all it entails. You can pick a certain product to look under or you can just search under All Products. Enter the number under the For: section.

When you put the number in, take off the $NtUninstall$ part and just put KB plus the number. For example, mine would be KB896422. When you’re done, just hit the Search button and the results for that particular number will show up. My search had 12 results. You can then just read through the different entries that came up with your search. Most of mine were vulnerabilities with different computer services, such as Telnet and HTML.

You may find out some interesting information when you read through all the different parts. If you’re having trouble with one particular program on your computer or one specific area, you can search for some answers and eventually do some troubleshooting with what you find. Some of them even include a patch, so you can fix things right away. Sound good to you? It sounds good to me! I know I’ll be using this method from now on.